Lesser prairie‐chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations have declined by >90% since the 1800s. These declines have concerned both biologists and private conservation groups and led to a petition to list the lesser prairie‐chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Most of the land in the current range of the lesser prairie‐chicken is privately owned, and declines have been primarily attributed to anthropogenic factors. Conversion of native rangeland to cropland and excessive grazing have been implicated as leading causes in the species' decline. Periodic drought probably has exacerbated these problems. Little research on habitat requirements was conducted prior to 1970. Despite recent advances in the knowledge of lesser prairie‐chicken ecology, no comprehensive guidelines for management of the species have been published. In these guidelines, we provide a synopsis of our current knowledge of lesser prairie‐chicken habitat requirements and suggest management strategies to monitor, maintain, and enhance lesser prairie‐chicken populations.

â€" Despite the fact that the Lesser Prairie-Chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species of conservation concern, little is known about its nesting ecology, particularly in sand sagebrush (.Artemisia filifolia) habitats. To find and monitor nests, we captured and equipped 227 female Lesser Prairie-Chickens with transmitters (87 yearlings, 1 17 adults, and 23 of unknown age) from 1997 to 2002 in southwestern Kansas. Apparent nest success was similar for yearlings (31%, n = 74) and adults (27%, n = 97) but differed marginally ( P = 0.090) between first nests (29%) and renests (14%). An estimated 31% of females that were unsuccessful in their first nesting attempt initiated a second nest. The probability that a female would initiate a second nest after failure of the initial attempt was negatively influenced by the day of incubation on which the initial attempt failed. Over 95% of all nests were initiated and completed between 5 May and 2 July. The primary cause of nest failure was predation by coyotes ( Canis latrans ) and gopher snakes ( Pituophis melanoleucus ). Mean clutch size, egg fertility, hatching success, nesting and renesting frequency, and incidence of interspecific parasitism were all similar across years and between yearlings and adults. Distances between nest sites were used as an index to nest-site fidelity between first nests and renests and for across-year nesting attempts. Mean distances between first nests and renests were similar for yearlings (1,071 m) and adults (1,182 m). Mean distance between nests constructed by the same female in subsequent years (918 m) did not differ between age classes or success of the first year’s nest. Most females (80%) nested closer to a lek other than the lek where they were captured.

Juvenile survival has been identified as the most critical demographic parameter influencing grouse populations. Little information currently exists on survival of juvenile lesser prairie‐chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). We regularly flushed 51 individually identifiable lesser prairie‐chicken broods over a 6‐year period to estimate survival from hatch to 14 days post‐hatch (early period) and from 15 to 60 days post‐hatch (late period). Estimates of overall daily survival rates were 0.949 (95% C***I=0.932–0.966) for the early period and 0.978 (95% C***I=0.968–0.989) for the late period. Overall survival from hatch to 60 days posthatch was 0.177 (95% C***I=0.028–0.376). We used encounter histories of 31 transmitter‐equipped juveniles to estimate survival from 1 August to 31 March (overwinter) using known‐fate models. Juvenile overwinter survival was 0.70 (95% C***I=0.47–0.86), and chicks heavier than average for their age at 50–60 days posthatch were more likely to survive the 8‐month overwinter period. Survival of juveniles from hatch to 31 March of the following year was 0.12 (95% C***I=0.01–0.32). We compared overwinter survival of juveniles and 93 transmitter‐equipped full‐grown lesser prairie‐chickens using a second set of models. Overwinter survival rates for juveniles (0.64) and full‐grown (0.63) birds were similar, but the timing of mortality events differed between age‐classes. We recommend that managers in Kansas, USA, focus on improving early survival of juveniles by providing additional food resources to chicks. This can be accomplished by manipulating vegetation to increase forb cover, which will result in increased invertebrate biomass.